Excuse me for my absence. It's been almost two months....woah...time flies. Autumn has finally given away to the chill of Old Man Winter. I'm actually looking forward to it, especially the snow. It'll be nice to hit the slopes in evenings. While the winter brings glad tidings, the shelter is buckling down to accommodate the masses. Tonight will be the first of our warming center hours where we are open all night. The Emergency Sleeping Program runs year round upstairs; however, we open our main floor to men who can't get a bed when the temp drops below 20F. Should be interesting to see how it runs.
Oh, since I mentioned running...I'm addicted. I ran 10 miles last week, the longest I've ever gone in my 22 years on Earth. I ran my first 5k this morning in 20:57. I can't stop! I recently finished the book Born to Run which was a huge inspiration to get out on the road. I feel that it is affecting other areas in my life in that I have this renewed energy to be progressive and motivated. I've been doing runs every week with the Flying Irish running club in downtown Spokane. I've put together a proposal for a program called Run to Overcome at the House of Charity. If approved, the program will aim to improve the mental and physical well-being of homeless individuals while attempting to instill constructive skills to overcome unhealthy behaviors/lifestyles.
It was been a busy time of year, but it's all good stuff. Long hours at the shelter are a bit tiring but the steady flow of exercise is keeping me chipper. My housemates and I have really blended well. It am recognizing more and more how valuable to this experience and how lucky we all are that it is working out so well. A few of them like to run and all of them enjoy a good dinner and libation! Yet, because relationships have grown out here, they have not filled the void of friends and family back home. I continue to miss all of you, but am settling with the disconnect. I can't tell you how much I look forward to coming home at Christmas! Jubilation is well over due.
While it seems to be a ways off, I've started to take steps in preparation for next fall. I'll be taking the GRE just before I come home in December. I'm thinking I'll apply to a few programs - UNH M.S in Kinesiology and Fordham for an M.A in Ethics & Society (to name a couple). My interests are a bit broad, as I'm torn between pursuing exercise science/environmental or a more philosophical path in ethics and moral theology. It'll be a lot of work but it's quite exciting. I'm dying to get back into the atmosphere of academia.
I do feel that I have learned much during my 3+ months in Spokane. I have been able to put life skills into practice at the shelter, and am content that I can introduce new ideas to the position. Folks are trying to convince me to stay a second year, but I know I belong back in New England for the time being.
Snowfall is much anticipated...Mother Nature, please overfloweth...
